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Country Fresh Mushroom picks new president

Jim Howard is the new president and chief operating officer of Country Fresh Mushroom Co., Avondale, Pa. Howard previously was general manager of Wastonville, Calif.-based Monterey Mushrooms Inc.âs facility in Princeton, Ill.

(Oct. 30, 3:12 p.m.) ORLANDO, Fla. â Jim Howard has been named president and chief operating officer of Country Fresh Mushroom Co. Howard has 26 years experience in the industry and previously was general manager of Watsonville, Calif.-based Monterey Mushrooms Inc.âs facility in Princeton, Ill.

He joined the Avondale, Pa.-based company this summer and was at the Country Fresh booth at the Produce Marketing Associationâs Fresh Summit, Oct. 24-26.

âIâm more invested in the sales side of the business here, and that fit my background in regards to the industry and the type of growth opportunity I was looking for,â he said. âThey have a great staff here.â

That staff includes regional vice president of sales Bob Besix, who has known Howard since the 1970s when Besix was a high school football player in La Moille, Ill., and Howard was the school principal and coach.

The two later worked together at Monterey Mushrooms.

âItâs great to be back together again,â Howard said.

Howard isnât the only thing new at Country Fresh, which also has introduced a new label.

âItâs a cleaner-looking label,â Besix said.

Itâs also color coded. Organics come with a green label, while exotics have purple labels, portabellas and baby bellas have brown labels and white mushrooms have blue labels.